As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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I'm anxious to go on a Disney Cruise to Alaska next year, but since the cruises haven't started yet I'm finding it very hard to get information. Is there any information on excursions, location of the shipyard, or any onboard changes to the ship (will the restaurants and entertainment be the same that they currently are?)? Does anyone know where I can find this info?
I don't really have the answers to your questions; but we are also booked for Alaska on DCL next May. I'm very excited, but agree that the info is limited- I look forward to hearing back from those that sail before me....... I'm hoping to see excursions by the end of the year, but really don't know what to expect....
We went to Alaska 3 years ago. The first week was a cruise from Vancouver to Seward. The second week traveled around from Seward all the way up to Fairbank with some stops in-between. I did not book any tours with the cruise line, I did all our own planning. First I purchased The Great Alaskan Tour Book Alaska Travel Deals | Alaska Vacations | Alaska TourSaver
In Ketchikan - We chartered a boat for the the men to go salmon fishing (If you would like the name of the company let me know it is saved on another computer. We even had the fished cleaned, packed and shipped home.) The women went on e duck tour Ketchikan Duck Tour in Ketchikan, Alaska
I couldn't agree more about the lack of information about the excursions. I'd love to see something soon, as although I can work out roughly what will be offered from looking at other cruise lines, I'd like to know for sure and start making some decisions about what we're going to go for.
DCL hasn't released shore excursion info yet, but you can visit the Holland America, Princess, or Celebrity web site to check out their offerings.
DCL will be departing from the Canada Place cruise terminal in Vancouver.
There will be no additional (major) changes to the Wonder's facilities - her last dry dock was in 2009, and it's next dry dock is scheduled in September 2011, right after the Alaska season. The main change in 2009 was the conversion of the outdoor bar on deck 10 into an indoor lounge.
Show changes? I don't think there's a new show on tap, but I could be wrong.
The 2011 PassPorter will, of course, have all this info and much more.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
Cruise critic posted an article in the past couple of months in which they had been invited by DCL to preview the offerings for shore excursions. Their article included a slide show of photos of the proposed offerings. I had posted a link to it but can't find it now. They seem to be very similar to what the other lines are offering with special Disney touches. I also think they'll be posting them on the website for informational purposes in January with bookings to follow a couple of months later. I guess the bookings all depends on when the various ranks of Castaway Club members have their opportunities for bookings. For my planning I have been reading several Alaska cruise reviews and posts on cruise critic on the Alaska board (they have boards dedicated to different ports/countries). I've also purchased 2 books which have been helpful; Compass American Guides, Alaska's Inside Passage which is a Fodor's book and Alaska By Cruise Ship by Anne Vipond. They've been very helpful. I too wish that there was more info. available. If I can find that link I'll, post it again.
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Pixie Dust
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I'd love to see something soon, as although I can work out roughly what will be offered from looking at other cruise lines, I'd like to know for sure and start making some decisions about what we're going to go for.
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